Piece by piece
by constellationmorningstar
Summary: When Hook told her he traded his ship for her, Emma Swan felt loved. And she had never felt loved before. This man was destroying her walls that she build all those years ago, piece by piece, until no further destruction was necessary.


Hi there! Welcome to my first fanfic oneshot of OUAT! I recently started watching the show and just finished season 6, so since I am now in my mourning state I decided to write this oneshot. I fell in love with Captain Swan the moment these two met each other. One of my favorite scenes has to be this one, where Killian tells Emma he traded the Jolly Roger for her. This is how I would've loved for the scene to end, but we never saw anything after that kiss so I like to imagine that this is what happened ;) Enjoy!

I do not, unfortunately, own OUAT. This is just my imagination.

(also, apologies if there are grammar mistakes or whatever, English is not my first language and sometimes I still struggle with some tenses..)

* * *

Emma Swan was officially part of the book now. Her adventures as Princess Leia, with Hook as Prince Charles, were now on paper, part of all the other adventures that her family has been through. When Emma and Hook fell into the time portal, Emma was terrified she would mess up some really important event of the past that would change the present. Her feelings were soon to be confirmed as she ruined the event of her parents first meeting, the most important event in the book for her as she was their daughter and otherwise wouldn't have existed. Fortunately, they were able to fix their – well, hers actually – mistake with the help of Rumpelstiltskin. But besides being terrified, being in the Enchanted Forest and seeing her parents when they were about to meet, to fall in love, when she saw Snow being killed by Regina - but later turned out to be alive -, made her realized something; she was _home_ here in Storybrooke, with her _parents._ Her parents and Henry were thrilled when she told them they were staying, that she knew that she belonged here.

She looked over at her parents and her son, who were reading the pages of the book she was now part of, Henry laughing at her pseudonym that she so obviously got from Star Wars. She saw the illustration of her and Hook, well Princess Leia and Prince Charles to be exact, at the ball of King Midas. It was her first ball ever and while she thought she wasn't the kind of woman who enjoyed such thing, she actually did.

Emma searched the diner for Hook, but she couldn't find him. When she looked through the window she saw him sitting outside on his own, his flask filled with rum in his hand. She walked outside and sat down on the chair next to him.

"So, do you think Rumpelstiltskin is right? I'm in the book now… He said that everything besides our little adventure would go back to normal. Do you think that it is?" she asked him as soon as she sat down.

Hook shrugged a little. "He's right, otherwise I would remember that damn bar wench I kissed." Ah right, that little adventure she had with past Hook. He might not remember, but she sure as hell would never forget. Seeing him jealous at his past self was just hilarious but also kind of adorable. And that kiss... damn that kiss. After the kiss they shared in Neverland she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, at least once more. Well, he did kiss her once more actually, when he came for her in New York, but that didn't count because she obviously didn't know who he was and thought he was some guy who was forcing himself on her. Hell, she even got him arrested for it. And there was this kiss after Zelena tried to drown him, but that didn't count as well because she was trying to blow air into his lungs. She longed for a _real_ kiss and that one with his past self was one that came closest to that, but still wasn't everything. As she sat close to him, all she could think of was kissing those _bloody_ lips again.

"How would that prove anything?" she asked him, already knowing she would get some flirtatious answer. She was right, of course. "I know how you kiss. I'd gone after her, but I didn't," She smiled softly, visibly pleased with his answer. "My life went on exactly the same as before."

"It must have been the rum," she teased him. She could imagine past Hook waking up the next day with a pounding headache, a combination of a hangover and the pain from when Hook punched him in the face. She kind of felt sorry for the man.

He smiled at her and she could see pride in his eyes, admiration even when he said: "Everything's back to normal, you're a bloody hero, Swan."

 _You were the one who came back for me in the first place and you're calling_ me _a hero?_ She thought. Clearly, he wasn't the same man she left on that beanstalk and had fought with at Lake Nostros, he had changed for the better, as far as coming back for her in order to save her family. The same pride she saw in his eyes appeared in hers as she realized what this man in front of her had done to change his life around and by the look on his face as he looked at her she knew that going back to his old ways was not an option anymore for him. He was no longer a villain, he was a hero. He was no longer Hook, he was _Killian._

"So are you. I wanted to thank you, Killian," she replied. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, not knowing what she would be thanking him for. "For coming back for me in the first place in New York, if you hadn't…"

"It was the right thing to do," he cut her off with the exact words her parents used when they saved the other from the danger they got themselves in. Oh yes, she noticed.

"How did you do it? How did you get to me?" This question had been on her mind for quite some time. She knew that everyone had lost their memories, so why didn't he? Why could he cross the town line while everyone else got attacked by those horrific flying monkeys? He must have done something in order to avoid the curse, didn't he?

"Well, the curse was coming, I ditched my crew and took the Jolly Roger as fast and as far as I could to outrun it," he answered her question. She was in awe, he outran a curse? He always went on and on about how he was one hell of a captain and he had proven it. Who outruns a curse? "You outran a curse?" she asked, still not quite believing him. "I'm one hell of a captain." Ah, there it was. She laughed to herself, she knew he would say this.

He continued his story. "And once I was outside the curses' purview I knew that the walls were down, transport between the worlds was possible again and all I needed was a magical bean."

"Those are not easy to come by," she stated. They both knew how rare they now were in the Enchanted Forest as they climbed up the beanstalk together to get one of the last beans remaining to get her and Snow back to Storybrooke after the Dark Curse was broken. Did he climb that beanstalk again to find one? Did he steal one? She wouldn't blame him if he did the latter.

He looked at his hand, his thumb rubbing against his other fingers, a habit of his when he's feeling nervous. "They are if you got something of value to trade."

"And what was that?" she asked him, laughing softly. What would he trade for a bean? One of his rings? One of his treasures that he kept on the Jolly Roger? What could possibly be 'of great value' to trade for a bean?

"Why, the Jolly Roger of course," he answered and smiled at her, a little pain hidden in his smile because of his sacrifice for her. He never, ever, thought he would trade his ship, his _home,_ for anything or anyone. And she knew that. It shocked her, he had traded his ship, for her?

"You traded your ship for me?" she asked softly, still processing what he just said. He simply nodded. "Aye." And then it hit her. He _loved_ her, and, in that moment, she actually felt _loved._ Emma Swan had never felt loved before – at least, not like this. She felt her mixed feelings for him becoming clearer, the feeling of wanting to kiss him whenever she looked at those lips of his, the feeling of pushing him away when he came just a little too close – emotionally, physically she didn't really mind, hence the first part -, the feeling of warmth spreading through her body when he looked at her like that. In that moment it all became clear to her, she wanted to be with him.

She gave into her feelings, her desire and kissed him softly. Her hand at the back of his head, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss. His hand traveling from the side of her face to her shoulder, back to her cheek and coming to a halt just underneath her chin. The kiss was soft and filled with love. It was nothing like the kiss they shared in Neverland or the one in the Enchanted Forest, both of them filled with lust and desire. They pulled back for a moment, smiling at each other, making sure that what was happening was indeed real. Not long after they reconciled their lips in another sweet and soft kiss. Piece by piece she felt the walls that she build around her heart break down, little pieces though. Her walls were high and steady and would not crumble that easily, but this moment here with him started the process of destruction.

"Take me up to your room," she whispered against his lips. He froze, not expecting this to happen, he didn't ever intend for it to happen. He pulled back and looked at her for confirmation. "Are you sure, Swan?" he asked, fully aware what was going to happen once he would take her upstairs. Not that he didn't want to, cause he sure as hell did, but he wanted to make sure that this wasn't just a heat-of-the-moment decision for her. She understood what he was implying and took his hand in hers. "Yes, but not for that to happen… I just, I just want to be with you tonight, to lay next to you, to talk to you," she explained while feeling a little blush creeping up her cheeks. She'd rather tell him that she wanted him there and then, cause that would be easier than exposing her deepest feelings, but she knew she wasn't ready for that yet and that they needed to talk and decide where this was going to go. She knew she had to do something to break down those walls if she wanted to be with him, this was her first step. He simply nodded and led her through the back door of the bed and breakfast, up to his room.

Once inside he excused himself to change out of his pirate attire, walking in to the bathroom with a black pile of clothes in arms. She had to admit she was curious what Captain Hook wore to bed, her question soon answered as he entered the room in a black shirt and black sweatpants, who knew? She looked at her own attire, skinny jeans, t-shirt, her red leather jacket and her knee-high boots, not really something to get comfortable in.

"Uhm, Killian, if you don't mind… could I borrow something from yours to get comfortable in?" she asked, a little embarrassed.

"Of course not, love." He walked over to the dresser and pulled out an extra black t-shirt, very similar to the one he's wearing. She thanked him and walked into the bathroom to change as well. After undressing and pulling his shirt over her head, she looked into the mirror. His shirt reaching just below her butt and she could smell his scent all over it. Even though it mostly smelled of laundry detergent, she could faintly smell rum and the sea. Oh yes, she could get used to this.

Emma walked back into the room and saw Killian already sitting in his bed under the covers, waiting for her. Sitting down on the bed she cuddled up to him and kissed his lips again, just as soft and sweet as the kiss they shared just minutes ago. She pulled back and rested her forehead against his. "Killian, now that Zelena is gone and we finally have a little quiet moment, I think now would be the perfect time to talk about this… us… or whatever this might be," she said softly. She knew they needed to have this conversation, but it frightened her. "Aye, love, tell me what's on your mind?"

She took a deep breath, her hands shaking a little as she started to doubt herself and the decision to do this. She knew she wasn't fully ready yet and that she had a long way to go, so why did she push herself? Would it be a good idea to let this man in her heart? Why start the process of destroying those walls when she had no certainty that he was going to stick around? She thought that Neal would and look what he did to her. But deep down she knew that Killian wouldn't do that, he traded his god damn ship for her! She needed to do this, because she wanted to be with him. Killian knew she was starting to doubt everything, he could read her like a book, like he told her when they first met. He grabbed her shaking hand with his and she felt her nerves flow away. The things this man could do to her.

"Okay, so this is going to be really hard for me," she started. He rubbed his thumb over her fingers in a calming matter. "I want to be with you, Killian, but it's going to be hard for me because as you know I have walls around my heart, not just paper-thin walls, but stone brick walls, as high as the beanstalk walls… It's going to take a while to break them down, but I want to break them down with you. I want to learn how to trust again, how to love again…" she admitted.

His heart warmed at her confession. He had been in love with this woman for over a year, thinking about her every day while they were under Pan's curse. He felt lucky and honored that she wanted him to be the man that broke down those steady walls around her heart. He lifted her hand up to his lips and softly pressed a kiss on it. He looked her straight in the eyes. "I know, Swan, I know. But you admitting this, you opening up, even if it's just a little bit, it's a first step to knocking them down. You know I want to be with you, love. So let's just take this slow, knock over one piece at the time until one day there's nothing left. Let's try this."

Tears formed in Emma's eyes with his words. Again, he made her feel so loved it scared her, but it also felt so good. She wiped away a single tear that escaped her eye and pressed her lips against his in an intense and deep kiss. After a while, when both of them needed to catch their breath, Killian laid them down under the blankets, Emma's head on his chest and her arm draped over his torso. He pulled her closer to him and pressed a kiss to her head.

"Swan, did I already mention how good you look in my clothes?" he smirked. She smiled up at him. "Well, now you have, captain."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and whispered "Goodnight, love." When he turned off the light on the bedside table she whispered back, "Goodnight, Killian."

There she was, sharing a bed with Killian Jones, the man she so desperately wanted to be with. The man she knew that would love her forever and always. The man she knew would be able to destroy those steady walls. The man that would destroy them, make them crumble peace by peace, until one day there was no further destruction necessary. The man she knew that one day she would deeply fall in love with. The man she was already falling for.


End file.
